Feb 5, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) skates before a game against the Los Angeles Kings at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Florida Panthers
The “fancy cats” as the analytics community has dubbed them have been a surprise this year and remain in contention for a playoff spot thanks to a good week.
The Panthers went 2-1-1 to collect 5 of 8 points while beating the Islanders and Kings, taking Nashville to a shootout and losing to the Rangers.
Florida has a respectable score-adjusted fenwick of 51.4 and sit 11th in the NHL in Corsi% with 51.7%.
They haven’t played bad hockey, they just don’t have the offensive weaponry to legitimately compete at a high level. That will come over time, though, as they have been building a nice team.
This past week has allowed them to keep a dim hope of making the postseason and further shocking the hockey world. Good things are on the horizon for the Panthers, just not this season.
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